Clinical and laboratory profiles of hospitalized children with acute respiratory virus infection

Choi, Eunjin; Ha, Kee-Soo; Song, Dae Jin; Lee, Jung Hwa; Lee, Kwang Chul

Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are a main cause of morbidity and mortality in children, with viruses being responsible for more than 80% of ARIs worldwide. 1, 2) Clinical manifestations of ARI can hardly differentiate bacterial from viral etiologies, which can lead to the unnecessary use of antibiotics. Recent development of the multiplex reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay makes noninvasive identification of respiratory pathogens possible. However, a more accurate diagnosis of causative ARI pathogens does not decrease hospital admissions or antibiotic use in children with ARI. 3) Since viruses are often detected in asymptomatic children, 4) identification of a virus by RT-PCR does not always imply that it is the culprit for a current ARI. Because these viruses are sometimes asymptomatic carriers and sometimes pathogens, a diagnosis should not be based solely on viral identification in respiratory samples. Moreover, new respiratory viruses have been increasingly recognized, but their clinical significance remains unclear. 5, 6) Thus, in addition to multiplex RT-PCR assays, Korean J Pediatr 2018;61 (6) :180-186 a better understanding of these viruses is required to improve clinical management.